This invention relates to a mechanism for locking the opened state or both the opened and closed states of a foldable baby carriage.
A foldable baby carriage is brought into the opened or closed state depending on circumstances. For example, the foldable baby carriage is in the opened state when moved with a baby placed therein. On the other hand, when it is carried without a baby placed therein, it is brought into the closed state.
The securement of the opened state of the baby carriage is important to the stabilization of its travel with a baby placed therein and to the enhancement of safety. Further, accidental opening of the baby carriage in its closed state makes carrying of the baby carriage in its closed state troublesome.
Thus, a suitable locking mechanism is required to make reliable both the closed and opened states of such foldable baby carriage. Such locking mechanisms will be constructed according to the respective types of baby carriages, and a foldable baby carriage to which the locking mechanism of this invention is applied includes at least the following arrangement. It has a pair of front legs, a pair of rear legs, a pair of push rods, and a pair of connecting rods pivotally connecting, each at its opposite ends, the respective rear legs and push rods. When the push rods and the associated connecting rods are straightened and fixed, the opened or unfolded state of the baby carriage is locked, while when the push rods and the associated connecting rods are folded and fixed, the closed state of the baby carriage is locked.
When such foldable baby carriage is arranged so that its opened or unfolded and closed or folded states can be locked, it is preferable from the standpoint of operability that the locking automatically take place at the end of movement from closed to opened state and at the end of movement from opened to closed state. On the other hand, when the opened state is to be changed to the closed state and the closed state to the opened state, it is desirable from the standpoint of safety that the locked state can be canceled only after a positive human manipulation.